Monday, September 6, 2010

It's Fall!

It's been a great week. Things are really starting to cool off. Most of the early mornings this past week have been in the 30's. All the leaves are starting to fall, and winter isn't too far away! I can't believe I've already spent two summers on my mission.

This week was full of meetings! On Monday we had our Specialized Training, and then on Wednesday and Thursday we had leadership meetings (all day). On Friday Elder P and I had Zone Leader Council over the phone this time. It was a really busy week, but it was great. All the training we had was awesome. It definitely helped me have a better outlook on teaching, and strengthened my testimony. Elder P and I have been teaching much more powerfully and with the Spirit since we had our training. President Dance is a great mission president, and I've learned a ton from him. Being a Zone Leader has been great because I get to talk with him and be around him a lot more than before.

A lot of people are leaving from the YSA branch to go back to school. It's going to be sad when they are all gone. Things will change a little bit during the winter months, but the work is still the same. In a couple of weeks there is a General Authority coming to Alaska to re-organize a stake, and do a mission tour. He is Paul B. Pieper of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He gets to Fairbanks on September 23, and we will have a zone meeting with him. I'm looking forward to it.

Well, things are always going really well, and I enjoy every minute of my mission. I've learned a ton in the past 15 months, and a lot of that has been in just the past few months. I hope you are all doing great!----Holly(Sis. Thompson)--I was about to send you guys a letter when I received yours, so I'm writing more today and I'll send that off. Thanks so much!

A Few Fun Family Facts About the Anchorage Alaska Mission

Mat's great-uncle, Bruce Dredge from Soda, Springs, Idaho, served a full time mission to Alaska.

Elder Hugh Pinnock was a member of the quorum of the Seventy. Elder Pinnock served as an area authority and his area included the Anchorage Alaska Mission. Hugh Pinnock was a first cousin to Mat's Grandma Borden.